To all my students and viewers,
If you have or haven't watched www.FoodIncmovie.com in your local theater, you must watch this comprehensive video on the fate of planet ecosystems, our health and freedom, "The Future of Food." Click on the link to the right to watch it here.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Be the Voice that Makes the Desparately Needed Change!
FYI: Please sign petition (click on the link)
The Peruvian government has pushed through legislation that could allow extractive and large-scale farming companies to rapidly destroy their Amazon rainforest.
Indigenous peoples have peacefully protested for two months demanding their lawful say in decrees that will contribute to the devastation of the Amazon's ecology and peoples, and be disastrous for the global climate. But last weekend President Garcia responded: sending in special forces to suppress protests in violent clashes, and labelling the protesters as terrorists.
These indigenous groups are on the frontline of the struggle to protect our earth -- Let's stand with them and call on President Alan Garcia (who is widely known to be sensitive to his international reputation) to immediately stop the violence and open up dialogue. Click below to sign the urgent global petition and a prominent and well-respected Latin-American politician will deliver it to the government on our behalf.
Please Sign Petition Click This Link Now!
More than 70 per cent of the Peruvian Amazon is now up for grabs. Giant oil and gas companies, like the Anglo-French Perenco and the North Americans ConocoPhillips and Talisman Energy, have already pledged multi-billionaire investments in the region. These extractive industries have a very poor record of bringing benefits to local people and preserving the environment in developing countries - which is why indigenous groups are asking for internationally-recognized rights to consultation on the new laws.
For decades the world and indigenous peoples have watched as extractive industries devastated the rainforest that is home to some and a vital treasure to us all (some climate scientists call the Amazon the "lungs of the planet" - breathing in the carbon emissions that cause global warming and producing oxygen).
The protests in Peru are the biggest yet and the most desperate, we can't afford to let them fail. Sign the petition, and encourage your friends and family to join us, so we can help bring justice to the indigenous peoples of Peru and prevent further acts of violence from all parties.
http://www.avaaz.org/en/peru_stop_violence/97.php?cl_tta_sign=c4bd4829b2c90f835ca6cf60127e965e or CLICK HERE
In solidarity,
Luis, Paula, Alice, Ricken, Graziela, Ben, Brett, Iain, Pascal, Raj, Taren and the entire Avaaz team.
Sources:
# Civilians and police killed: Human rights lawyers accuse the government of a cover-up, BBC, 10 June:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8092453.stm
# Civil Society Condemns Massacre of Indigenous People in Peru, 8 June:
http://www.globalwitness.org/media_library_detail.php/765/en/global_witness_condems_violence_in_peru
# On Peru's rift over economic policy and the controversial free trade agreement with the US , Reuters, 9 June:
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN09374943
# Research Article: Oil and Gas Projects in the Western Amazon: Threats to Wilderness, Biodiversity, and Indigenous Peoples, M. Finer et al:
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi/10.1371/journal.pone.0002932
# Oil companies ‘should withdraw’ as Peru ‘faces its Tiananmen’, Survival International, 8 June:
http://www.survival-international.org/news/4640
# Peru's Amazon oil deals denounced, BBC News, 3 February:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6326741.stm
ABOUT AVAAZ
Avaaz.org is an independent, not-for-profit global campaigning organization that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people inform global decision-making. (Avaaz means "voice" in many languages.) Avaaz receives no money from governments or corporations, and is staffed by a global team based in Ottawa, London, Rio de Janeiro, New York, Buenos Aires, and Geneva. Call us at: +1 888 922 8229 or +55 21 2509 0368
Click http://www.avaaz.org/en/report_back_2/ or CLICK HERE to learn more about our largest campaigns.
Don't forget to check out our Facebook and Myspace and Bebo pages!
To ensure that Avaaz messages reach your inbox, please add avaaz@avaaz.org to your address book. To contact Avaaz, please do not reply to this email. Instead, write to info@avaaz.org.
You can also call us at +1-888-922-8229 (US) or +55 21 2509 0368 (Brazil)
If you have technical problems, please go to http://www.avaaz.org OR CLICK HERE FOR MAIN WEBSITE
The Peruvian government has pushed through legislation that could allow extractive and large-scale farming companies to rapidly destroy their Amazon rainforest.
Indigenous peoples have peacefully protested for two months demanding their lawful say in decrees that will contribute to the devastation of the Amazon's ecology and peoples, and be disastrous for the global climate. But last weekend President Garcia responded: sending in special forces to suppress protests in violent clashes, and labelling the protesters as terrorists.
These indigenous groups are on the frontline of the struggle to protect our earth -- Let's stand with them and call on President Alan Garcia (who is widely known to be sensitive to his international reputation) to immediately stop the violence and open up dialogue. Click below to sign the urgent global petition and a prominent and well-respected Latin-American politician will deliver it to the government on our behalf.
Please Sign Petition Click This Link Now!
More than 70 per cent of the Peruvian Amazon is now up for grabs. Giant oil and gas companies, like the Anglo-French Perenco and the North Americans ConocoPhillips and Talisman Energy, have already pledged multi-billionaire investments in the region. These extractive industries have a very poor record of bringing benefits to local people and preserving the environment in developing countries - which is why indigenous groups are asking for internationally-recognized rights to consultation on the new laws.
For decades the world and indigenous peoples have watched as extractive industries devastated the rainforest that is home to some and a vital treasure to us all (some climate scientists call the Amazon the "lungs of the planet" - breathing in the carbon emissions that cause global warming and producing oxygen).
The protests in Peru are the biggest yet and the most desperate, we can't afford to let them fail. Sign the petition, and encourage your friends and family to join us, so we can help bring justice to the indigenous peoples of Peru and prevent further acts of violence from all parties.
http://www.avaaz.org/en/peru_stop_violence/97.php?cl_tta_sign=c4bd4829b2c90f835ca6cf60127e965e or CLICK HERE
In solidarity,
Luis, Paula, Alice, Ricken, Graziela, Ben, Brett, Iain, Pascal, Raj, Taren and the entire Avaaz team.
Sources:
# Civilians and police killed: Human rights lawyers accuse the government of a cover-up, BBC, 10 June:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8092453.stm
# Civil Society Condemns Massacre of Indigenous People in Peru, 8 June:
http://www.globalwitness.org/media_library_detail.php/765/en/global_witness_condems_violence_in_peru
# On Peru's rift over economic policy and the controversial free trade agreement with the US , Reuters, 9 June:
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN09374943
# Research Article: Oil and Gas Projects in the Western Amazon: Threats to Wilderness, Biodiversity, and Indigenous Peoples, M. Finer et al:
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi/10.1371/journal.pone.0002932
# Oil companies ‘should withdraw’ as Peru ‘faces its Tiananmen’, Survival International, 8 June:
http://www.survival-international.org/news/4640
# Peru's Amazon oil deals denounced, BBC News, 3 February:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6326741.stm
ABOUT AVAAZ
Avaaz.org is an independent, not-for-profit global campaigning organization that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people inform global decision-making. (Avaaz means "voice" in many languages.) Avaaz receives no money from governments or corporations, and is staffed by a global team based in Ottawa, London, Rio de Janeiro, New York, Buenos Aires, and Geneva. Call us at: +1 888 922 8229 or +55 21 2509 0368
Click http://www.avaaz.org/en/report_back_2/ or CLICK HERE to learn more about our largest campaigns.
Don't forget to check out our Facebook and Myspace and Bebo pages!
To ensure that Avaaz messages reach your inbox, please add avaaz@avaaz.org to your address book. To contact Avaaz, please do not reply to this email. Instead, write to info@avaaz.org.
You can also call us at +1-888-922-8229 (US) or +55 21 2509 0368 (Brazil)
If you have technical problems, please go to http://www.avaaz.org OR CLICK HERE FOR MAIN WEBSITE
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
"27 dead as blockade broken up by authorities" Peru, June 5, 2009
Army units employed to stop the protest of the indigenous people in Peru who were attempting to block the highway to resist the violation of their land rights. See survival news edition: http://www.survival-international.org/news/4635
June 8, Dozens Dead as Amazon Indigenous people protest the laws that open up their rainforest to oil companies.
See Survival-Internation.org news update: http://www.survival-international.org/news/4640
June 8, Dozens Dead as Amazon Indigenous people protest the laws that open up their rainforest to oil companies.
See Survival-Internation.org news update: http://www.survival-international.org/news/4640
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Stop the Swine Flu
Don't Get Sick! Fight the Swine Flu with Zamu!
It is a well established fact that Vitamin C, when taken daily will reduce your risk of getting a cold or flu. Furthermore, when consumed while sick, Vitamin C will reduce the symptoms or dramatically shorten the duration!
Zamu fruit drink contains 1,000 times more Vitamin C than Orange Juice. Zamu contains the sustainably harvested, Camu Camu fruit. Ingredients in Zamu synergistically sustain the potency of Vitamin C without any preservatives. Learn more....
Zamu fruit drink contains 1,000 times more Vitamin C than Orange Juice. Zamu contains the sustainably harvested, Camu Camu fruit. Ingredients in Zamu synergistically sustain the potency of Vitamin C without any preservatives. Learn more....
The Camu Camu in Zamu is the fruit with the highest known concentration of Vitamin C. All the ingredients in Zamu grow in the richest soil on earth, The Amazon Rainforest. Imagine a place that produces enough oxygen to be called "the lungs of our planet," and enough medicinal herbs to provide a living pharmacy to the entire world.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Do you know about actionaid.org/india ??? Check this out: http://www.actionaid.org/india/ but go to Niyamgiri: A beautiful mountain range youtube. Other countries don't appear to have the same direct theme. Check this out: http://www.actionaid.org.uk/1730/peru.html and this: http://74.125.115.132/translate_c?hl=en&sl=pt&u=http://www.actionaid.org.br/Default.aspx%3Ftabid%3D782&prev=/search%3Fq%3Daction%2Baid%2Bbrasil%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den&usg=ALkJrhi6vh2A0KfTv7bza7vuyknf8_NClw
Different slants to the problem (ignoring the true causes: by multinational corporations instigation of political conflict and food embargos, and resource exploitation via agribusiness. Of course the solutions then are inappropriate and massage American sympathy, like adopt a Peruvian Child.
Also notice that there is no actionaid logo on the india web address line.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Very Important Please Read
Facts about the rainforest Help Save The Rainforest Often described as the Earth's lungs, only in reverse, the tropical rainforests, take in vast quantities of carbon dioxide (a poisonous gas which mammals exhale) and through the process of photosynthesis, converts it into clean, breathable air. In fact, the tropical rainforests are the single greatest terrestrial source of air that we breathe.
What's truly amazing, however, is that while the tropical rainforests cover just 2% of the Earth's land surface, they are home to two-thirds of all the living species on the planet. Additionally, "nearly half the medicinal compounds we use every day come from plants endemic to the tropical rainforest." If a cure for cancer or AIDS is to be found, it'll almost certainly come from the tropical rainforests.
Norman Myers, in his book, The Primary Source, writes that "tropical rainforests are the Earth's oldest continuous ecosystems. Fossil records show that the forests of Southeast Asia have existed in more or less their present form for 70 to 100 million years. The intensity of life forms is extraordinary: on the order of 1,000 species per square kilometer. By comparison, here in North America, we might only find 100 species in the same space." (2)
The largest rainforests are found in the Amazon Basin of South America, in Western African countries that skirt the equator, as well as South Pacific countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines. Smaller tracts of rainforests exist throughout Central America, parts of Mexico and Hawaii, as well as other islands of the Pacific and Caribbean.
Circling the Earth's equator like a belt, the tropical rainforests maintain a near constant temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit and receive anywhere from 160 to 400 inches of rain per year. These favorable weather conditions allow all life forms to flourish year- round. Furthermore, by virtue of their location, the tropical rainforests were spared the extreme loss of life that characterized other regions of the globe during the ice ages. These two factors help explain why the tropical rainforests are home to between 50 and 70 million different life forms.
Tragically, the tropical rainforests are being destroyed at an alarming rate. According to Rainforest Action Network, more than an acre-and-a-half is lost every second of every day (refer to the entries below to see, quantitatively, what that translates into). That's an area more than twice the size of Florida that goes up in smoke every year! "If present rates of destruction continue, half our remaining rainforests will be gone by the year 2025, and by 2060 there will be no rainforests remaining."
Every second . . we lose an area the size of two football fields!
Every minute . . we lose an area 29 times the size of the Pentagon!
Every hour . . . we lose an area 684 times larger than the New Orleans Superdome!
Every day . . . we lose an area larger than all five boroughs of New York City!
Every week . . . we lose an area twice the size of Rhode Island!
Every month . . .we lose an area the size of Belize!
Every year . . . we lose an area more than twice the size of Florida!
At the very least, "with the destruction of the tropical rainforests, over half the plant and animal species on earth, as well as numerous indigenous cultures will disappear forever."(2) If strong and decisive action is not taken immediately to reverse the destruction of this vital ecosystem, the consequences will be catastrophic. In fact, many scientists agree that the earth could very well become uninhabitable for virtually every living species, including humans!
We've consulted some knowledgeable experts in the field of tropical rainforest conservation and come up with some sobering facts that will lend credence for taking immediate action to save the last remaining tropical rainforests. And what might happen if we don't.
B I O - D I V E R S I T Y
. . . "a typical four-mile square mile patch of rainforest contains as many as 1,500 species of flowering plants, 750 species of trees, 125 mammal species, 400 species of birds, 100 species of reptiles, 60 species of amphibians, and 150 different species of butterflies."
. . . "there are more fish species in the Amazon river system than in the entire Atlantic Ocean."
. . . "a single rainforest reserve in Peru is home to more species of birds than the entire United States."
. . . "at least 1/3 of the planet's bird species live in the Amazon rainforest."
. . ."the Andean mountain range and the Amazon jungle are home to more than half of the world's species of flora and fauna."
. . . "at least 1,650 rainforest plants can be utilized as alternatives to our present fruit and vegetable staples."
. . . "37% of all medicines prescribed in the US have active ingredients derived from rainforest plants."
. . . "70% of the plant species identified by the US National Cancer Institute as holding anti-cancer properties come from rainforests."
. . . "90% of the rainforest plants used by Amazonian Indians as medicines have not been examined by modern science."
. . . "of the few rainforest plant species that have been studied by modern medicine, treatments have been found for childhood leukemia, breast cancer, high blood pressure, asthma, and scores of other illnesses."
. . . "a hectare (2.471 acres) of rainforest absorbs one ton of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year."
. . . conversely, "the clearing and burning of the world's rainforest accounts for 20-25% of the CO2 emitted into the atmosphere by man. It therefore could play a significant role in any so called "greenhouse effect" underway in our atmosphere."
THE COST OF RAINFOREST DESTRUCTION
. . . "almost half of the world's original four billion acres of rainforest are now gone. The lost area equals the combined size of Washington, Idaho, California, Nevada and Arizona."
. . . "in 1500, there were an estimated six to nine million indigenous people inhabiting the tropical rainforests of Brazil. By 1900, that number had dropped to a million. Today, there are less than 250,000 indigenous people left in Brazil."
. . . "man has recently increased nature's "normal" extinction rate by 10,000%. Most of this increase is taking place in the rainforests."
. . . "by conservative estimates, 9,000 species are going extinct each year, most of them from the rainforests."
. . . "we are presently experiencing the largest mass extinction since the demise of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago; only this time it's occurring at a much faster rate." Rainforest Animals Rainforest Plantlife Q & A on Rainforest Animals Causes of Rainforest Destruction Facts About The Rainforest Take The QuizSave The Rincon Tropical Rainforest View Guestbook
Sign Guestbook
What's truly amazing, however, is that while the tropical rainforests cover just 2% of the Earth's land surface, they are home to two-thirds of all the living species on the planet. Additionally, "nearly half the medicinal compounds we use every day come from plants endemic to the tropical rainforest." If a cure for cancer or AIDS is to be found, it'll almost certainly come from the tropical rainforests.
Norman Myers, in his book, The Primary Source, writes that "tropical rainforests are the Earth's oldest continuous ecosystems. Fossil records show that the forests of Southeast Asia have existed in more or less their present form for 70 to 100 million years. The intensity of life forms is extraordinary: on the order of 1,000 species per square kilometer. By comparison, here in North America, we might only find 100 species in the same space." (2)
The largest rainforests are found in the Amazon Basin of South America, in Western African countries that skirt the equator, as well as South Pacific countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines. Smaller tracts of rainforests exist throughout Central America, parts of Mexico and Hawaii, as well as other islands of the Pacific and Caribbean.
Circling the Earth's equator like a belt, the tropical rainforests maintain a near constant temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit and receive anywhere from 160 to 400 inches of rain per year. These favorable weather conditions allow all life forms to flourish year- round. Furthermore, by virtue of their location, the tropical rainforests were spared the extreme loss of life that characterized other regions of the globe during the ice ages. These two factors help explain why the tropical rainforests are home to between 50 and 70 million different life forms.
Tragically, the tropical rainforests are being destroyed at an alarming rate. According to Rainforest Action Network, more than an acre-and-a-half is lost every second of every day (refer to the entries below to see, quantitatively, what that translates into). That's an area more than twice the size of Florida that goes up in smoke every year! "If present rates of destruction continue, half our remaining rainforests will be gone by the year 2025, and by 2060 there will be no rainforests remaining."
Every second . . we lose an area the size of two football fields!
Every minute . . we lose an area 29 times the size of the Pentagon!
Every hour . . . we lose an area 684 times larger than the New Orleans Superdome!
Every day . . . we lose an area larger than all five boroughs of New York City!
Every week . . . we lose an area twice the size of Rhode Island!
Every month . . .we lose an area the size of Belize!
Every year . . . we lose an area more than twice the size of Florida!
At the very least, "with the destruction of the tropical rainforests, over half the plant and animal species on earth, as well as numerous indigenous cultures will disappear forever."(2) If strong and decisive action is not taken immediately to reverse the destruction of this vital ecosystem, the consequences will be catastrophic. In fact, many scientists agree that the earth could very well become uninhabitable for virtually every living species, including humans!
We've consulted some knowledgeable experts in the field of tropical rainforest conservation and come up with some sobering facts that will lend credence for taking immediate action to save the last remaining tropical rainforests. And what might happen if we don't.
B I O - D I V E R S I T Y
. . . "a typical four-mile square mile patch of rainforest contains as many as 1,500 species of flowering plants, 750 species of trees, 125 mammal species, 400 species of birds, 100 species of reptiles, 60 species of amphibians, and 150 different species of butterflies."
. . . "there are more fish species in the Amazon river system than in the entire Atlantic Ocean."
. . . "a single rainforest reserve in Peru is home to more species of birds than the entire United States."
. . . "at least 1/3 of the planet's bird species live in the Amazon rainforest."
. . ."the Andean mountain range and the Amazon jungle are home to more than half of the world's species of flora and fauna."
. . . "at least 1,650 rainforest plants can be utilized as alternatives to our present fruit and vegetable staples."
. . . "37% of all medicines prescribed in the US have active ingredients derived from rainforest plants."
. . . "70% of the plant species identified by the US National Cancer Institute as holding anti-cancer properties come from rainforests."
. . . "90% of the rainforest plants used by Amazonian Indians as medicines have not been examined by modern science."
. . . "of the few rainforest plant species that have been studied by modern medicine, treatments have been found for childhood leukemia, breast cancer, high blood pressure, asthma, and scores of other illnesses."
. . . "a hectare (2.471 acres) of rainforest absorbs one ton of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year."
. . . conversely, "the clearing and burning of the world's rainforest accounts for 20-25% of the CO2 emitted into the atmosphere by man. It therefore could play a significant role in any so called "greenhouse effect" underway in our atmosphere."
THE COST OF RAINFOREST DESTRUCTION
. . . "almost half of the world's original four billion acres of rainforest are now gone. The lost area equals the combined size of Washington, Idaho, California, Nevada and Arizona."
. . . "in 1500, there were an estimated six to nine million indigenous people inhabiting the tropical rainforests of Brazil. By 1900, that number had dropped to a million. Today, there are less than 250,000 indigenous people left in Brazil."
. . . "man has recently increased nature's "normal" extinction rate by 10,000%. Most of this increase is taking place in the rainforests."
. . . "by conservative estimates, 9,000 species are going extinct each year, most of them from the rainforests."
. . . "we are presently experiencing the largest mass extinction since the demise of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago; only this time it's occurring at a much faster rate." Rainforest Animals Rainforest Plantlife Q & A on Rainforest Animals Causes of Rainforest Destruction Facts About The Rainforest Take The QuizSave The Rincon Tropical Rainforest View Guestbook
Sign Guestbook
Clear your mind and brighten your day. Zamu tastes good, feels good and does good. Welcome and please tell us what you liked most about your first taste of Zamu!
Yours truly,
Dr Carboni
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